Hikers rough it when walking, camping

NEILLSVILLE – From the days of early settlers and earlier accounts of humans migrating, the history of camping has been and continues to be an ongoing recreation or way of life, even if it wasn't originally meant to be fun.

There's something that attracts people to want to sleep outside under the stars and commune with nature, if only for a day. There are even a few diehard nature lover campers who rough-it for weeks or months as they hike someplace like the Appalachian Trail or the Pacific Crest Trail — think Bill Bryson and Cheryl Strayed.

Any real hikers or campers know their accommodations take on various shelter-like forms — make-shift or manufactured. From the single person pop-up tent to the ones that can house a family, tenting is the option for folks who like to rough it. They're also the campers who will stir the embers in the campfire and roast their marsh mellows, charring them inedible. They get joy from sleeping on the ground in a sleeping bag.

But citified campers might have the fancy campers equipped with a real bed including the mattress and comforter; a kitchen filled with appliances and of course, indoor plumbing. Those folks wouldn't think of using an outhouse, or worse, finding the farthest bush to hide behind.

Everyone's idea of camping in the great outdoors is different. Not everyone enjoys the basic rigors of down to earth, sleep-overs on the hard ground. Nor does everyone want or need the expensive, homey, cushy comforts of home while they explore nature.

But I doubt any present-day campers ever thought about spending the night outdoors in a covered wagon. It might not be considered camping, but then again there aren't any pioneers to ask if they enjoyed their "camping" adventure.

Just know the camping season comes to an end for most people at the end of summer. But there are a few folks who like to extend their camping experience into the fall and winter, and year-round.

Yet, if you're lucky enough to have the time and the money, and can roam this country hiking any trail and camping wherever, you might want to read the following books: "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson, "Wild" by Cheryl Strayed, and "Travels With Charley" by John Steinbeck. They are nonfiction, true hiking/camping stories. And they give the reader a good laugh for more than a day.